A delicious chocolate fudge cake suitable for birthdays, afternoon tea or any other celebratory occasion. Sandwich and top it with a scrumptious chocolate cream cheese icing. Or smother it with a decadent chocolate ganache frosting instead.
First of all I’d like to wish you all a very Happy Easter. The chocolate fudge cake with chocolate cream cheese icing you can see here is destined for Easter tea with my mother and some friends later today. It’s a good one.
I also have an easy and fun Easter competition for all baking enthusiasts. The prize is the Mary Berry Collection afternoon tea set that you can see in this post, plus a possible added bonus. Read on.
The Great British Bake Off
The Great British Bake Off has become a bit of an institution over the last few years. I haven’t missed an episode. Sadly, it’s moving away from the BBC and I’m still feeling outraged by the turn of events. I will miss it. The grand dame of baking, Mary Berry, who is synonymous with the show, is thankfully remaining loyal to the Beeb and will not be moving with it. Neither will Mel or Sue.
On to happier subjects. I’m really pleased with this elegant Mary Berry Homeware Collection from Meld Home. I’ve rather fallen for the cute grey goose. The set arrived just in time for me to use it for my Easter chocolate fudge cake.
If you like it too, scroll down to the bottom of this post to find out how you might win your own set. You do not need to be a blogger to enter. I will be shortlisting my favourites, then Mary herself will judge the winner. She will also be picking an overall winner from the five participating blogs; that lucky person will get a signed copy of one of her books. Fingers crossed it will be one of you who wins.
Chocolate Fudge Cake
So, to my Easter chocolate fudge cake. It’s dark, fudgy and delicious. The cake is fairly easy to make and is an ideal bake for any occasion. Stick some candles in, smother it in chocolate shavings or do as I’ve done here and pile a few mini Easter eggs on top. Job done.
To give this cake its special fudgy yumminess, I use the usual suspects, but also include ground almonds, yoghurt and a little golden syrup.
I grind my own almonds for this chocolate fudge cake. If you have a blender or coffee grinder, it’s very easy to do. And freshly ground almonds are a bit of a game changer. They won’t be as fine as the bought stuff, but they add a bit of texture and the flavour is so much better.
The cake is prepared using the creaming method. This basically means you start by beating the butter and sugar together. Once these are thoroughly combined and are light and fluffy in texture, beat in golden syrup, followed by the eggs. Then you mix in the flour, followed by the yoghurt and ground almonds.
This isn’t the easiest or quickest way to make cakes, but it’s the most common as it produces light and moist sponges with a good texture.
Once you’ve made the batter, divide it between two round baking pans and bake. Just make sure you know your pans. If they’re silicone, which mine are, you can ladle the batter straight in. If you’re using tin ones, however, it’s best to line them with baking paper first. This ensures they won’t stick.
Then use one of the two frosting recipes to fill and decorate it.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
The chocolate cream cheese icing is super scrumptious. Whenever I make it, I have to try incredibly hard not to wolf it down before ever it gets on the cake.
I used a bar of very dark chocolate, but you can use a lighter version if you prefer.
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
As well as the chocolate cream cheese icing, I’ve also filled and frosted this chocolate fudge cake with a chocolate ganache frosting. Again, I’ve used dark chocolate, but if you prefer milk, by all means use that.
The ganache has a melt in the mouth texture and is darkly chocolatey. It also tastes slightly fudgey due to the brown sugar, so it works particularly well with the cake.
I’ve given this as an alternative option in the recipe, below. There’s enough chocolate ganache frosting to fill the cake generously and cover the top and sides.
The cake you see above proved to be a great hit at a friend’s impromptu birthday party. We’d ventured out on a cold February day and enjoyed a lovely, if very brisk walk along the river Fowey.
Other Chocolate Cakes You Might Like
- Celebratory vegan chocolate cake
- Chilli chocolate cake with apricot curd buttercream
- Eton Mess chocolate cake
- Rhubarb & orange chocolate cake
- Scandinavian chocolate cake
- Triple chocolate cake
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this chocolate fudge cake, with or without the chocolate cream cheese icing, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?
If you’d like more layer cake recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
And for more Easter baking inspiration take a look at my Easter recipes.
Choclette x
Chocolate Fudge Cake. PIN IT
Chocolate Fudge Cake – The Recipe
Chocolate Fudge Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing or Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
Chocolate Fudge Cake
- 180 g unsalted butter softened
- 180 g dark muscovado sugar
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 pinch sea or rock salt (I used Himalayan pink rock salt)
- 3 large eggs (I used duck eggs)
- 180 g spelt flour half wholemeal, half white
- 40 g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 2 tbsp natural yoghurt (I used 0% Skyr)
- 2 tbsp water
- 50 g ground almonds (I ground my own)
Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
- 200 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- 100 g dark chocolate (I used 90%)
- 100 g full fat cream cheese
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 50 g icing sugar
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- 150 g dark chocolate I used Green & Blacks 72% cook's chocolate)
- 110 g unsalted butter
- 30 g dark muscovado sugar (1 oz)
- 5 tbsp double cream (heavy cream)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale in colour and fluffy in texture.
- Beat in the syrup and salt.
- Beat in the eggs, one by one. If the mixture starts to curdle add in a spoonful of the flour.
- Sift in the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Add the yoghurt, water and ground almonds and stir again until just combined.
- Divide the mixture between two 20 cm (8") round silicone moulds or lined cake tins. Smooth down the tops and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for 30 minutes, or until the cakes are risen and firm to the touch or an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Leave to cool for ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
- Melt the chocolate in a small pan over a gentle heat with half of the cream to make a ganache. Stir and set aside to cool.
- Whisk the remaining cream with the cream cheese, cocoa and icing powder until the mixture begins to stiffen. Stir in the chocolate ganache until combined. It should be firm enough to use at this point, but if not give it a whisk.
- Spread half of the mixture over one cake, sandwich with the other and top with the remaining icing.
- Leave plain or decorate as liked. As it was Easter, I piled a few mini eggs on top of mine.
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- Melt the chocolate in a heavy pan over a gentle heat with the butter and sugar. Stir until smooth, then remove from the heat.
- Add the cream and vanilla extract and stir until thoroughly combined. Leave in a cool place (not the fridge) to firm up for twenty minutes or so. The mixture needs to be a spreadable consistency, so be careful not to let it set.
- Sandwich the two cakes together with a third of the ganach, then spread the rest over the top and around the sides of the cake.
- Decorate or leave plain, as you wish. I used silver stars on top and alternating pink and white sugar flowers around the edge.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Now, ready steady, baaaaaaaaaake!
I’m adding my chocolate fudge cake to Bake of the Week over with Helen at Casa Costello. If you’re into baking, this is definitely worth a shufti.
Mary Berry Homeware Competition
How to Enter
- Please link up a photo of your Easter bake in the comments below or better still add your picture to this Tin and Thyme Facebook page post. A title would be useful too.
- In addition, if you post a photo on Twitter, FB or Instagram, tag me and use the hashtag #maryseasterbakes, I will endeavour to retweet or like, as appropriate.
The Prize
- 4 x cake forks
- 4 x cake plates
- cake stand
- cake slice
- 2 x mugs
- the overall winner from the five blogs will also receive a signed book from Mary
The competition T&Cs
- Open to UK residents only.
- The competition will run from 15th April until the 2nd May 2017. Mary will be judging the week beginning 8th May.
- Mary will judge the finalists, and choose a winner from each blog that is hosting this competition and an overall winner for the signed book.
- Winner will need to supply their address
11 May 2017 – Winner Alert
Thank you to everyone who entered the competition. We had 33 entries in total. Congratulations go to Emma Locker who Mary picked out as the winner of my blog competition. This is what Mary had to say about her cake – “Emma’s Chocolate Easter Nest Cake is very eye catching. She has created a lovely deep cake with decoration that shows really creative ideas. Well done Emma!”
Disclosure: I was sent the Mary Berry Homeware Collection for the purposes of this competition. I was not asked to write a positive review and as always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for your support of the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.
Vanesther Rees says
Oh my, this looks just incredible!
Choclette says
Thanks Vanesther. It already seems like quite a long time ago, but it was a good cake 🙂
Jenny Paulin says
I love this way of creating a nest cake – and the coloured foiled eggs really finish the cake off nicely. It looks so tasty. Thank you for linking up to #Bakeoftheweek x
Choclette says
Thanks Jenny? Are you hosting #Bakeoftheweek? I must have missed that.
Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe says
Sounds like a fantastic cake – I love cream cheese frosting. I think I might have seen one of the GBBO but it never got big in our house – the timing and the station were wrong for us – sorry to hear it has left the beeb.
Choclette says
Thanks Johanna. I guess the GBBO wasn’t so easy for you to see. It was such a big thing here in the UK, I’m sad it’s gone.
Lubka Henry says
This cake looks absolutely amazing! Thanks for taking the time to share the recipe :))
Choclette says
Thanks Lubka. It was touch and go as to whether I had enough time before having to leave the house, but I just managed it 🙂
Lynne Harper says
What a stunning cake and my fav as well. Nothing better than curling up with a big slice of cake and a cup of tea with a good book, my idea of perfect. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Choclette says
Thanks Lynne. Glad you like it. We’ve still got a couple of slices left to look forward too 🙂
Jo @ Jo's Kitchen Larder says
Wow, absolutely love the cake and especially the cream cheese icing on it and the fact that you used ground almonds as well. I love the hint of almonds in any cake. Hope you enjoyed it 🙂 I shall head to the Facebook page and enter my Chocolate Marble Cheesecake for the comp as absolutely love the prize 🙂 Gorgeous set! Hope you are having lovely Easter!
Choclette says
Hi Jo, great to hear you’re entering. The cake was delicious and went down a storm 🙂 Hope you’re having a good Easter too.
Sammie says
Ooh I’m keeping hold of this recipe as my sister cannot eat gluten. What a yummy cake. As I’m not on FB (sorry) I will place my link here http://www.feastingisfun.com/chocolate-biscuit-base-mini-egg-brownies/. I love the Mary Berry collection and the geese are adorable.
Choclette says
That’s absolutely fine Sammie and no need to be sorry about not being on FB. Thanks for your entry. I used spelt flour in this cake, so it’s not gluten free.
Amanda says
The cake looks delicious, so perfect for Easter. I made creme egg fudge as my Easter bake, it would be amazing to win your set and a lovely Mary Berry cook book! GBBO with Mary will be so missed by all. Here is the link to my bake:
http://wp.me/p4CHeD-Uv
Happy Easter,
Amanda.
Choclette says
Thanks Amanda. We’ll be eating the cake this afternoon. I’m looking forward to it. Thanks for your entry, fudge is very hard to resist!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Fudge chocolate cake..what’s not to love! It surely looks divine, Choclette.
Choclette says
Thanks Angie. I’m looking forward to cutting into it this afternoon 🙂
munchies and munchkins says
This cake looks divine. I am feeling strange about the changes in GBBO too but intrigued also..
Choclette says
Thanks Rebecca. I suspect you’re of a better disposition than me. I’m in a grump about it and have vowed never to watch the new version. Time will tell if I manage to hold out or not.
Kate says
What a gorgeous chocolate cake! And the Mary Berry collection is very pretty.
Choclette says
Thanks, I’m looking forward to sinking my teeth into it later today. The colours of the collection aren’t at all the sort of colours I normally use, but I love it.
Lucy says
Mmm just the perfect cake for Easter! The plates and cake forks look lovely too, great for afternoon tea.
Choclette says
Exactly Lucy. I’m looking forward to trying them out. Oh! And the cake 😉
Tracey Peach says
My absolute favourite cake I’m drooling!
Choclette says
Thanks Tracey, I’m looking forward to cutting into it later today 🙂